Set up to reopen

For a successful reopening, you’ll want to make sure your books are open, your staff is ready, and guests know about your offerings and the measures you’re taking to ensure a safe dining environment.

• Adjust your floor plans and table types to accommodate capacity limits and space guidelines per your local regulatory mandates
• Confirm that your special days, availability, and shift settings are up-to-date
• Prevent crowding by opening an online waitlist that guests can join remotely and be notified when their table is ready
  
• Drive additional revenue by offering online ordering for pickup — so guests can experience your menu at home
• Decide which services make sense for your restaurant and delivery or takeout options 
• Rehire and retrain staff, and make sure to include any new safety and sanitation protocols
• Verify user access of technologies and edit or remove if needed

Get the word out

Diners are ready to put their pots and pans away and come back to your restaurant, but they first need to know you’re open. Make it easy for people to discover you and find updated information about your restaurant.

• We surveyed nearly 10k OpenTable diners globally about what safety measures are most important when it comes to dining out again—here is what they had to say.
• Think about marketing on the cheap. Ramp up your marketing using these practical and budget friendly tips.
• Update your hours of operation, menus, and delivery /takeout information, if anything has changed (see how to update your OpenTable profile) 
• Customize and resend booking confirmation emails to ensure guests are aware you’re open for business (remember: OpenTable automatically confirms reservations through text and email)  
• Offer prix-fixe menus or happy hour specials to attract diners
• Re-engage your regulars by sending marketing emails to your database

Stay on top of guest concerns

Establish clear safety and sanitation procedures and create a safe and welcoming environment by preparing your staff to respond to questions from guests.

• Use masks and gloves to keep staff and guests safe
• Be empathetic to guest preferences (e.g. changing seats, avoiding waiting areas, changing dishes or glassware)
• Share talking points with staff for anticipated questions. Shift notes can keep them top of mind
• Reduce physical contact with disposable menus and single-use condiments
• Increase sanitation by creating employee sanitation measures, like masks and gloves, and keeping hand sanitizer at the entrance

Evolve your operations

As your business continues to evolve, your operations and supply chain will likely shift. Keep track of what’s working for you and your peers.

• Track how you’re doing by looking at your shift and cover analytics
• Stay updated with government mandates and resources available
• Contact your vendors and suppliers to let them know of any changes in demand 
• Continue to learn from peers in the industry (tune in to our weekly In it Together webinars) 
• Consider adding additional revenue streams such as meal kits, takeout, delivery, and grocery items

The state of the restaurant industry

As cities, states and countries begin to reopen their doors, understand how the industry is beginning to rebound. We’ve highlighted the percentage of restaurants reopening in each market and summarized week-over-week reservation data from restaurants on our platform and update it daily.

See the latest in the data center